Clapton Pond Blog

Pink Wheelie Bin In Cambridge Heath Road

How can I get one of those? Is this photograph art?

Organic, Natural & Poetic

Last Sunday, the enterprising Abdullah of Palm 2 presented an afternoon of fine food and entertainment in the garden at the back of his other shop, Organic And Natural. It was all the idea of some of his more devoted customers. There was free sangria and delicious food, and a man in a rabbit mask who pulled carrots of his trousers (nobody ate those). There was also this:

She goes by the name of Carronicus. I wonder if she has other giants' toes...

Lord Cecil, Lower Clapton Road

From a reader called Zac:

"The Lord Cecil is on an exclusively uniform Victorian terraced stretch of the Lower Clapton road (the corner toward the Round Chapel) it also has the finest Victorian frontage on this road. Demolition would definitely not be beneficial to the area in the long run as adding cheap, crammed apartments never is. One suspects it is only happening here, now, as its not a particularly prosperous neighbourhood, such as those, for example, in Islington, Hampstead or Chelsea. Preservation of good, antique architecture is essential for the future and continuing prosperity of an area as it makes it ultimately worthwhile to invest in."

Zac believes the pub is a listed building and now owned by a developer. There was a fire there recently and a neighbour of Zac's acquaintance has noticed damage caused separately to the roof. Does anyone else have information about this?

The Great Nando's Debate

Mr Locker takes a stand:

"As soon as it was confirmed the chain was about to move in, the Stop Nando’s campaign went live. This site appeared (although all the comments and abuse seem to have vanished). The obligatory Facebook group popped up (look for it yourself). And a bunch of self-righteous tossers, not content with the positive coverage they’d had in the Guardian more than once, continued complaining...

What really appalled me was the recent attempt to stop Nando’s - which had fairly won the old Vortex site - from having an alcohol licence. Campaigners conjured up visions of drunkenness and disorder, which was dishonest. Are people really going to say to themselves 'Fuck the Auld Shillelagh, The Lion, Ryan’s Bar, The Rose and Crown, The Defoe, Booth’s Bar. Let’s send the V sign to all the local pubs and restaurants and get hammered in Nandos, whilst eating chicken?'

No. Of course they’re not. The campaigners are trying to find reasons to stop people they despise from spending time in a street they’ve claimed for themselves."

Is that blood on the floor I see?

A Stoke Newington Memory

From a movie buff.

Distinguishing Rabbis

A Stamford Hill blogger writes:

"To the newly refurbished Stamford Hill library. First impressions are good: airy, light, spacious, new wooden shelving, increase of computer terminals and fresh carpet. The new bank of computer terminals is away from the prying windows of the Portland Avenue side of the library as are the poetry, history and other non-fiction collections. In their place is the children's section which appeared, from a distance, to be much more colourful and playful. I visited the library at lunch time and it was awash with young chasidic men surfing the web."

Now read on.

Eurovision Preparations

Wardrobe issues, near Victoria Park.

Beau Jest At Hackney Empire

In spite of feeling as though I'd been hit repeatedly with a sock full of cold porridge, I kept my Friday night date with my beloved and went to see this charming comedy of Jewish family life. Set in Chicago in the early Nineties, James Sherman's play was exactly the type of entertainment I needed: silly and light but full of neat insights into relationships between parents and grown-up children of whatever nation or denomination. Both The Guardian and The Times gave it three-star reviews. I give it four. The only disappointment of the evening was the small audience, which can't have numbered more than fifty. This show deserves better. Be sure to see it before it closes on 1st June.

Millfields School Market

The latest arts, craft and food fair took place on Saturday. All present could have done without the steady drizzle but, as you'll see, the stall holders were not to be beaten...

Also, I almost honoured my reckless pledge to eat from every one of the food stalls. Sadly, a huge and delicious plate of samosas and pakora left me so stuffed that I could only find room for a single enormous chocolate cake for dessert. Still, I did buy an entire strawberries-and-cream sponge cake to make up for it.

Hackney Empire Online

I've just booked some tickets. Don't know how long the new website has been up, but it was the first time I'd seen it. Very handsome.